Nanny Doss was a sensation in the 1950s. She was featured in newspapers, interviewed by television crews, and talked about by women across the country. She seemed to be the epitome of the sweet and charming American housewife. She loved marriage, homemaking, and cooking. She wore cat-eye glasses and lipstick. Her hair was always curled, and she wore pearls around her neck. She smiled and laughed a lot, and had a nickname: “The Giggling Granny”.
But behind her innocent and cheerful facade, there was a dark and sinister secret. Nanny Doss was a serial killer, who had poisoned four of her husbands, as well as several other relatives and lovers. She was motivated by greed, boredom, and dissatisfaction, and she showed no remorse or guilt for her crimes. She was one of the most notorious and prolific female murderers in American history.
A Troubled Childhood and a String of Marriages
Nanny Doss was born in 1905 in Alabama, to a strict and abusive father, who forbade her from dating or socialising with boys. She married her first husband, Charley Braggs, when she was only 16, and had four daughters with him. She soon became unhappy with her marriage, as Braggs was a controlling and unfaithful man, who often left her alone with his mother. She also suffered from depression and headaches, and developed a habit of reading romance magazines and novels.
She poisoned two of her daughters in 1927, and left Braggs in 1928, taking her other two daughters with her. She married her second husband, Frank Harrelson, in 1929, and moved to North Carolina. He was a drunkard and a womaniser, who abused her physically and verbally. She endured his behaviour for 16 years, until she killed him with rat poison in 1945, after he raped her.
She married her third husband, Arlie Lanning, in 1947, and moved to South Carolina. He was also an alcoholic and a cheat, who often left her alone for months. She poisoned him in 1952, and inherited his house and savings. She also collected his life insurance, after the house mysteriously burned down.
She married her fourth husband, Richard Morton, in 1953, and moved to Kansas. He was a womaniser, who had a secret affair with his ex-wife. She poisoned him in 1954, and also killed her mother, Louisa, who had come to live with her.
A Confession and a Trial
Nanny Doss was finally caught in 1954, after she married her fifth husband, Samuel Doss, and moved to Oklahoma. He was a religious and frugal man, who disapproved of her reading habits and spending. She poisoned him in 1954, and tried to claim his life insurance. However, his doctor became suspicious of his sudden death, and ordered an autopsy, which revealed traces of arsenic in his body.
The police arrested Nanny Doss, and interrogated her for hours. She confessed to killing her four husbands, her mother, her sister, her grandson, and her mother-in-law, with rat poison or arsenic. She said she did it because they annoyed her, or because she wanted their money, or because she was looking for the perfect mate. She showed no emotion or regret, and giggled throughout her confession, earning her the nickname “The Giggling Granny”.
She was charged with the murder of Samuel Doss, and pleaded guilty in 1955. She was sentenced to life imprisonment, and avoided the death penalty, as the state of Oklahoma did not execute women at the time. She died of leukaemia in 1965, at the age of 59.
A Legacy of Infamy and Fascination
Nanny Doss was a paradox and a phenomenon. She was a killer and a housewife, a monster and a star. She broke all the stereotypes and expectations of the American woman in the 1950s, and shocked and intrigued the public with her crimes and personality. She was the subject of numerous articles, books, documentaries, and podcasts, and inspired fictional characters and stories. She was one of the most infamous and fascinating female murderers in American history.
